On July 18, 1833, Wied wrote that during their journey
he kept making comparisons with his similar journey on the Brazilian
rivers. After the hunters returned with buffalo meat, they were able to
continue their trip up the river, aided by a favorable wind. But then a
typical prairie storm was seen brewing in the distance, so they decided to drop
anchor early.

Photo: Sunset Westend Campground

Rancho RV Park. Ron stops at our van and philosophizes
about life, for example, that the stars in the sky are our departed
ancestors. He tells me about his grandfather, that he could move stones
without touching them. My favorite story is about his job of putting up
stages for concerts. Once he did this for an Elvis Presley concert. When Elvis saw him he said, in his inimitable way, “Oh, an Indian!” Ron
replied by imitating Elvis’ voice, to the delight of Elvis and all those
present.

Wolf Point. ATM. Albertson Markt. We fill the gas tank
and then head west on the Indian Highway. Black Walnut Road. Milk River.
Nashua. At Westend Campground we reserve a site for three nights. It has
very good washrooms, a nice view of the huge Fort Peck Lake. We can also
see where Big Dry Creek once flowed into the Lake. It’s hard to imagine
that the keelboat Flora sailed through here, around a big bend. This bend
has disappeared and, thanks to Fort Peck Dam, there is now a large and
impressive lake.

It has been eight days since the RCMP gunned down a demonstrator in Dawson Creek. According to the Independent Investigations Office, he “approached officers in an aggressive manner and when he did not comply with directions and commands, he was shot.” It is the latest in a series of actions, which appear to have began with the government’s decision to break Treaty #8. Though this…

We took the tour of the inside of the dam, and even got to look out from one of the four grates from the middle of the dam. Did you know that the base of the dam is as wide as it is tall? Also, it takes 200 years for the concrete laid in the 1930′s to fully cure.

“Hoover Dam fulfilled the goal of disseminating the one-wild Colorado River through the parched Southwest landscape, fueling the development of such major cities as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Capable of irrigating 2 million acres, its 17 turbines generate enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes. The dam was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 and one of America’s Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders in 1994. It receives some 7 million visitors annually, while Lake Mead, the world’s largest reservoir, hosts another 10 million as a popular recreation area.” (History.com, 2010)

horsnell gully/gilles conservation park:
• lots of ruins, and hills. some steep sections with loose gravel and rocks. there is a waterfall there when it’s been raining a little. not many trails in this park. yurrebilla passes through here.

sturt gorge conservation park:
• it’s a gorge. enter the park and you head straight downhill. the river trail is a nice easy walk following the sturt river. not fun going back to the car. you can also visit the sturt dam.

onkaparinga river national park:
• very big park, lots of trails to explore. i suggest the sundews ridge hike to get to the lookout and then deviating to the sundews river hike which takes you straight down the gorge to the river. gorgeous!

deep creek conservation park:
• highly recommend the aaron creek hikes. amazing views, lots of kangaroos, beautiful cascading waterfall and lush greens everywhere in the wetter months. waterfall hike is also a nice short one. it’s a downhill steep walk from tent rock road, but getting back up is hell.

black hill conservation park:
• easily one of my favourites within the greater mount lofty ranges. damn good workout. can take the long way up to the summit via quarry boundary track, steep in some bits, bearable though. can take a shorter route to summit, but requires you literally climbing the side of the hill. beautiful views of the city, quarry and there’s always a kangaroo or two out and about.

scott creek conservation park:
• lots of trails via many gates on different roads. the roads to get here are quite scary but it’s a lovely place once you get there. didn’t get to explore too much of this park, but the bits i saw were gorgeous.

shepherds hill recreation park:
• nice leisurely walk along the trails, but probably wouldn’t do it again. i found the trails to be pretty boring.

belair national park:
• there’s something for everyone here! easy walks to more challenging hikes. beautiful waterfall in the winter time! echo tunnel scares me but the surrounds of it looks like something out of a fairytale.

cleland conservation park:
take winter track up to long ridge lookout, amazing view of the city! can go up chambers gully instead to make the hike a little longer. pengana track is one hell of a hill, if you start it, prepare to finish it because there is no turning back (unless you feel like rolling down)

marion coastal trail:
• easy walk along the boardwalk and up some stairs. cliff views, can spot a dolphin or two if you look close enough. connects to hallett cove conservation park, make your walk last a little longer and go explore the sugarloaf.

mount george conservation park:
• few trails in this park. heysen passes through here. definitely recommend the ridge/summit hike, outcrops at the top and epic views of the mount lofty ranges. not particularly hard, can come down on a fire track to avoid the narrow track back down.

ingallala falls:
• not a very long walk to the waterfall, but the waterfall is definitely worth visiting. if you’re game, you can climb up the side of the first falls and once you get to the top of that, you’re greeted with a second fall and a rock pool. stunning. second valley forest reserve sits next door, so you can easily go and explore that afterwards.

hindmarsh falls:
• again, beautiful waterfall! not much in the way of walking trails, but you can definitely hop the fence and explore a little. can also access a part of the park via the car park, not sure where it leads though.

I encourage everyone to go watch Dam Nation, a documentary on Netflix that’s about the ecological cost of dams on the environment and wildlife. It’s insanely eye-opening and you can sign a petition that will help get rid of dams that do not work’ here (x) and visit the film website here (x).